Books & Thunder
by Ms. Marin
Summary: Sabrina finds herself helpless in the middle of an unexpected storm. Natalie to the rescue!


"Oh, Miss Sabrina!" exclaimed the maid, snapping open the heavy windows of the girl's bedroom. "It's nearly 10 o'clock, young lady, and I know all too well you've been up since 7 reading Goddess knows what on those awful books!"

Sabrina, who was until then but a lump under the bedsheets, stuck her head out looking dismayed.

"Please Nana, just one more chapter!" begged Sabrina.

Nana, the maid, was busy running around from one side of the room to the other, picking up books to stack in neater piles, choosing clothes for the young miss and even setting her breakfast.

"Up, up, up!" said Nana, clapping her hands. "You have bread and jam today. I know you like those with some camomile tea, little Miss!"

Sabrina sighed. "I do. You know my too well, Nana."

She marked her book and set it on her bedside table. She got up and Nana rushed to her, forcing her arms open to remove Sabrina's camisole.

"You know I don't need to be treated like a child, Nana!" exclaimed Sabrina.

"Orders are orders, you know your father cares very much about your health and well-being, Miss Sabrina," said Nana. "And I will do as I am told, since I care about you just as much. Now, stand still so I can pull up these darned stockings."

Sabrina gave in with a sigh. She felt embarrassed when she had to be dressed as if she were a baby. Heavens! She even looked like one, with no clothes on in the presence of someone else. She quite loathed it. Sabrina would never, ever tell Nana that, though.

"Miss, I know it makes you thoroughly embarrassed to stand here like this," said the maid as if reading Sabrina's mind. She was now fastening the gown with a wide ribbon on the waist. "But it's all necessary. And you have become such a beautiful girl, look at yourself."

Nana had her hands on Sabrina's shoulders and turned her towards a full length mirror in front of the young girl.

"See? Such a tiny waist, silky skin, tiny hands," Nana sighed. "You're a porcelain doll, miss! No wonder the boys in town all talk about you with such awe."

Sabrina blushed a vibrant red, her cheeks so warm they might as well have caught fire.

"Don't say that, Nana!" exclaimed Sabrina. She freed herself desperately from her maid's grasp and, grabbing a slice of bread hurried off. "I'll be back for the afternoon tea, I think I'll have lunch out!"

She stormed off down the stairs – and to Sabrina that equaled feathery steps down the hall, though she totally had a very angry look on her face, however unconvincing. Poor Nana did not even have time to warn Sabrina of the weather, for she had heard the day would be a very mean Fall day: windier and chillier than ever before.

*

Sabrina fleeing her maid's care was a recurring theme. She had grown without a mother and thus any other female figure that had crossed her path tended to puzzle her beyond sense. She could deal with boys, but girls made her insides churn.

It was a bit chilly outside, but there seemed to be no wind or any sign of rain on the cloudy skies, the air felt dry. Then, Sabrina decided she would have lunch at the restaurant on Verdure Island, something she enjoyed doing when Father was too busy to know she was going out and forbid her. In fact, Sabrina was not too interested in the food there, but rather in the possibility of company. She had not talked to Natalie in a week and she was beginning to miss her friend.

Natalie was much more active and strong willed than Sabrina, so they seemed to complete each other when they did things together. Sabrina always knew an interesting book and good food, whereas Natalie knew the best prairies for pick-nicks, places where they could read aloud undisturbed until it got dark.

Sabrina suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach and almost missed a step at the sudden thought of their Summer time walks and the Spring flower picking.

Sabrina opened up her book to distract herself and began walking on a soft, comfortable pace towards town. Oddly enough, she had not been disturbed by any of the other villagers. There was pretty much no one in sight and she did not understand why, as the day seemed perfectly fine. When she crossed the bridge and approached the first few buildings, the wind suddenly changing. Soon enough it was blowing strong and chill on the opposite direction of Sabrina's walk, messing her hair and clothes.

She kept going regardless, expecting it to pass soon. But the weather only got worse. The sky darkened and a thunder announced impending rain. Sabrina sped up her pace, since she was no one to run, but a sudden gust of wind snapped her book off her hands and it flew up in the air. Sabrina yelped in surprise and desperation; she hated seeing books mistreated!

Sabrina tried to make a run in the direction it was going, but tripped on a her own feet and dress and fell. She whimpered and tried to get up. A stabbing pain shot up to her right wrist and she gave up. There was another thunder and a few heavy droplets of rain fell. She tried to ease herself up with her left hand, yet it turned out rather clumsily.

"Here, take my hand!" cried a friendly voice. Sabrina looked up and saw Natalie, her cherry blossom colored hair messy from the wind and a shall wrapped around her shoulders. Sabrina nodded and grabbed the other girl's hand. "C'mon, this way!"

Natalie's grip was strong on Sabrina's hand as she led them both to the safety of her house. As soon as they stepped inside, rain came pouring down like never seen before. Sabrina felt and looked quite distraught as Natalie sat her down on a chair by the fire.

"Jeez, Sabrina! What were you doing out there?" exclaimed Natalie, taking off her shall and wrapping it around the shivering girl's shoulders. "Didn't you watch the news today?"

Sabrina shook her head. "I did not."

Natalie sighed. "No wonder!" She went to the stove and came back with a steaming hot cup of tea. "Is... camomile okay?"

"Yes it is! My favorite," said Sabrina, beaming.

Natalie blushed and walked away, talking about medicine and bandages and wrists. She seemed to think Sabrina had fell on her right wrist and it now needed some tending to.

"Thank you... you really didn't have to do any of this," said Sabrina when Natalie came back to inspect her wrist.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you freeze to death out there, now would I?" she exclaimed, pulling a chair to sit in front of Sabrina by the fire. Sabrina handed her wrist to Natalie when asked. The other girl's touch was had an odd warmth to it and she was very delicate at inspecting the injury. "It's not broken, thank Goddess! You could've been so badly hurt... I still can't believe you were out there."

Sabrina stared down at her lap. "I... I'm really sorry," said she, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't mean to. But-- But Nana was teasing me and I got angry and--"

"H-Hey! Hang on a second, I'm not blaming you," Natalie was quick to add. Sabrina looked up and for a faint second made full eye contact with the other girl. She seemed to genuinely distressed and Sabrina did not know what for. "I was just," Natalie looked away. "Really worried you'd get hurt."

Sabrina blinked and the tears that had been on the corners of her eyes streamed down her porcelain white cheeks.

"Thank you, so much," said she. "If it had not been for you... I would be hurt. Thank you for rescuing me!"

Natalie grinned, looking flustered but much more comfortable now. "Any time!" she cried.

*

Natalie began tending to Sabrina's wrist, first with some ointment, then with clean bandages.

"You should be glad my big brother's not in today! He'd be all over you," said Natalie. She bit her lower lip. "Because he's _awful_ at mending injuries, not because I care or anything! I can work better like this."

Sabrina laughed. "He can't be that bad! But you're much better at it than him," said she, staring at Natalie's finished job. "You're very careful and delicate and-- I don't think I'd rather be saved by anyone else. Ever!"

The girls laughed for a bit before an uncomfortable silence took over the room. Sabrina set her hands on her lap like she usually did when unsure of what to do next, swinging her feet back and forth on the chair. Natalie looked at her and smiled, placing her warm hands over Sabrina's.

"And I'd rather save no one else but you, miss," said she, beaming in such a boyish manner Sabrina was suddenly as at ease in her presence.

Natalie suddenly approached Sabrina and, with a quick wink, kissed her on the lips. Her mouth was warm like her hands and her kiss was as inviting and kind as the helping hand she offered Sabrina earlier. They parted kept their faces close together, almost cheek to cheek.

"I--" Sabrina tried to speak, but the words were caught on her throat and her insides churned. "What is this... feeling?"

"I've been trying to figure that out for a while now," said Natalie. "You need to figure it out too."

Sabrina yelped. "B-but! I think I can try, but..." she smiled. "If you're with me I'll be braver about it."

Natalie smiled back. "Then I'll be with you, always! If you never need saving, especially."

*

Later that evening, when the storm had stopped and people began roaming the streets once more, Sabrina went home. As soon as she stepped in, Nana was all over her with worry.

"Dear, miss! You're only wearing your dress still! I will light a fire straight away or you'll catch cold," cried the maid.

"Don't worry, Nana," said Sabrina. "I'm warmer than ever before."

_**A/N:**_ My 2 favorite "Sunshine Islands" girls! I can't help but think that Sabrina's softness goes great with Natalie's spontaneity. : )

I was thinking about making this the first chapter of a longer story about the two, or at least the first in an arc of stories about them. Should I?


End file.
